Would You?
by sah-dovah
Summary: The wind is cold against my face. I can see all of Skyrim from here. No wonder Prince Torygg's father spent so much time here. I wish I could just step foot on Eastern Skyrim. Just for a day and I'd be satisfied. Knowing it would be too good to be true, I fall back into the clean white snow and dream of that day. Too soon, Arngeir calls me back for training. Some day, I'll be free.
1. Chapter 1

Would You?

Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim or anything involved with it.

* * *

A dark shadow ran through the night carrying a little pink bundle. He ran swiftly like a deer and hid in the shadows like an assassin. He had a job to do and the only thing that could stop him was himself. The Queen of Solitude and the western half of Skyrim ordered this little run and it was to be finished no matter what.

This shadowy man was one of the greatest thieves because of the way he could disappear into the darkness or swipe an item without alerting anyone. And that was his job tonight but something made it different. Something made it special. The little bundle he held in his arms was a baby. Not just any baby but the crown princess of the eastern side of Skyrim. Daughter of Ulfric Stormcloak and his queen.

Not too long ago, the dragons were resurrected by Alduin, The World Eater. At that time arose a hero, a hero so great that he defeated Alduin and secured a place in Sovengarde for when he would die. He was the Dovahkiin, a hero of legend that is so rare.

Deciding he wouldn't take sides in the war for Skyrim, he settled down with the widowed Queen of Skyrim with no opinions or bias feeling. He loved the queen and she loved him back after years of trying to forget about her older husband. The happy couple produced an heir, a son they named Torygg after the queen's late husband.

Soon enough, Ulfric Stormcloak started to make his army stronger and they took half of Skyrim. Now the lands are divided into what we call Western and Eastern Skyrim. Half a year after this division, Ulfric found himself a wife and they had their heir, a baby girl. His wife also had the gift of the voice. She was the friend of the known Dragonborn and she felt that the Stormcloak side needed power too. The two were head over heels for each other.

And then both sides made the contract that bound the children. When they both reached the age of 18, they would do battle to the death. The survivor would determine the fate of Skyrim and its people.

Being as it was, the Queen of Western Skyrim regretted the choice and had a thief steal the child to save her son. There was no knowing what would become of the battle and the two so she did this to save both children. Then she ordered the thief to capture and do away with the child. If the child were to ever know of her fate, what would become of her son?

As the thief ran through the trees and mountains of Skyrim, he had a change of heart and instead of killing the innocent baby, he left her on the steps of a poor family on the outskirts of Solitude. He ripped the tiny symbol of the Stormcloaks from the pink yarn blanket and knocked on the door. Then he stole away into the night, invisible once again. Risky as it was, the queen never suspected her greatest enemy was living just outside her own kingdom.

* * *

"Get your lazy butt up!" The old Brenton cook yelled while shoving me off the crates of food and into the kitchen. She pushed me around the kitchen and dumped dishes into my arms. Then she glared at me and smacked me on the side of the head. "Wash. Now." She spoke slowly and heaved her heavyset body and attire to the other end of the kitchen to make lunch for the Royal Court.

Life in the castle is cold. I am always surrounded by stone all the time and the people here could have my head in two seconds. The job barely pays and then after noon, I work at repairing the training dummies in the yard outside Castle Dour. That job sucks too.

"Ugh." I groaned loudly as I wiped the grime of day old food off the palace silverware and ceramic plates. Soap sloshed around as I dunked the dishes and dried them. I barely slept last night because I was practicing my stealth skills for when I get out of this gruesome city. Instead of making an honest living, I want to become wealthy by stealing. I heard the Thieves Guild got out of their ruff patch and has influence over every major hold.

The clash of ceramic coming in contact breaks me out of my day dream. Did I break another plate? No. Now there's shouting. I walk slowly to the larger portion of the kitchen and peak out from behind the stone divider.

The prince is having another fit and broke his plate on the tile. Food is all over the place and guess who has to clean it up? Me.

I grab the mop and a bucket of soapy water and get to work. As I scrub the floor, the prince's complaints get louder.

"I wanted an omelet not whatever that was!" The prince is about half year older than I am but he still is a prissy person. What do you expect from royalty?

The cook grovels at his feet. It's surprising how low to the ground she can get with her massive size and all. "I'm sorry your Majesty but I wasn't the one to prepare your meal." She glares in my direction and points at me accusingly. "It was her."

Mr. Prissy Pants stomps over to me and talks down to me like I am a child. "Do you know what happens when I don't get what I want?" He kicks my bucket and the water splashes all over my apron and dress.

I break the mop in two pieces and throw it at his feet. "I don't really care. I quit." Then I march out the kitchen door and right into the Queen.

She is startled but resumes her calm composure. Queen Elisif the Fair has on her spring green dress today and her orangish hair flows from under her crown. She gives me a curt nod and leaves in silence.

After calming down a bit after that dangerous encounter, I continue with my storming and exit the Blue Palace. The air outside is fresher than in the stinking kitchen and I inhale it deeply. Bees are buzzing around the flowers and the children are playing their usual game of tag. I pass them and the larger stone houses and up to the training yard. The soldiers greet me and I converse with them for awhile about their training.

Soon after, I leave them to hack at the dummies I will have to fix later. I walk down to the doors and out by the docks. Me and my family live in a small cottage opposite of the sawmill and I follow the beaten cobble path. We aren't poor but we aren't rich either. Whenever we can get a job, we do it to keep the family going.

I walk into the front door and my little sister runs from her room to welcome me. She is only seven so her hugs don't really match mine. I lean down and squeeze her lightly and let her outside to play in the garden. "Mom. I'm home."

"In here." My mother responds and I follow the sound of her voice. She works as an herbalist and has for years. Some of her graying hair pokes out of her bun and I tuck it in for her. She smiles and gives me a hug and I return it.

"I quit the job in the castle kitchen today. That brat of a prince is getting on my nerves." I slump down into a chair in the corner of the little room and my mom continues to stir her potions.

Her forehead creases in worry and she wipes her brow. "I figured as such. Don't let the guards catch you saying that." Then she adds a pinch of some sort of dust or something and the mixture puffs up smoke. As fast as she can, she goes over to the window to prop it up but I get there before she does. She returns to her little experiments and I go outside to watch my sister.

"Whatcha got there Lillia?" I lean against our little house and watch as she delicately weaves the flowers into a little crown. Patterns of blue and red spread from its leafy binds and it looks beautiful.

My sister is the picture of adorable. Her blond tresses and rosy cheeks make people stop in their tracks. She barely speaks but when she does, her voice is like the soft hum of a lullaby. Lillia likes to make her actions speak for her and does a good show of it. Whether it's facial expressions or acting, you can count on her to be distracting and adorable at the same time.

I have no clue how my mother, an Imperial with brown hair, and my father, a Nord with blond hair, ever got me. Ebony hair and cold silver eyes. Some say my mother was a promiscuous woman in her day. I doubt those rumors because it is apparent she only loves my dad. But sometimes I doubt I even belong to this family. My father works to keep peace along the border and is away often. He fights to keep us safe and has been a great warrior for years as well as a fantastic smith. My mom on the other hand spends her time at the alchemy table, brewing potions and cures for the sick and doubling as magicka teacher.

Sometimes, she even makes potent poisons for the castle assassin. Everyone in Western Skyrim know the names of my parents and little sister. Me, not so much. Often, you will hear talk of the heroic warrior Rikard the Warrior. Or the healer Salonia the Wise. Maybe even Lillia the Sweet.

Whenever you hear my name, it's because of my faults. I'm known for my screw ups and mishaps. People have seen what I've tried to do with magicka. Let's just say that after that, I'm not allowed into the Bard's College anymore. The guards won't even let me touch the practice weapons because of how bad I handled magicka.

It's either "Did you hear about what Svana did yesterday?" or "Guess who broke the new record at being a failure? No one. Svana still holds the title." I just wish people would believe in me for once. Just once and I would be satisfied.

I know it will never happen because I have no talent. I can't use magicka, I barely have any balance, I can't cook, I'm not that bad at singing, trying to play an instrument is out of the question, and don't get me started on laundry. One time, I forgot about the clothes and they floated out to the Sea of Ghosts. I had to get them in a leaky boat. Good thing they got caught on some rocks.

My sister tugs on my apron and pulls me out of my thoughts and tells me to kneel. I do and she puts the little crown of flowers on my head and curtsies. She gives me a hug and whispers in my ear.

"Happy birthday."

I give her the best curtsy I can on my knees and tickle her. This little gift is more than enough and makes me very happy because it came from the heart.

Lillia rolls around in the long grass while I tickle her tummy, pretending I'm a scary dragon. She laughs and plays along too with my little jest.

"No! Don't eat me!" She screeches between giggles.

I spread my fingers like claws and make roaring sounds. "Rawr! Rawr!" Lillia laughs as I 'attack' her. She giggles and it becomes contagious. I laugh along with her until we are rolling around in the grass.

These are the days I like. No stress. The sun warm on my face and the ground a comforting bed of lush green grass. If I could, I would freeze time just to live this moment forever. Spending eternity with the family I love and the day as perfect as it could ever be.

Unfortunately, everything has to be the opposite of what I want it to be. At the same time every day, the Dovahkiin teaches his son about the Thu'um and the whole palace shudders for an hour. I'm surprised his shouting hasn't broken the rock formation that holds the whole town up. What is even more annoying is that the prince is Dragonborn too.

The last cook that didn't please him was shouted off the edge of the city. It wasn't the prettiest sight in the world because instead of the poor Redguard hitting the water safely and living, he hit the ground. Hard. Made a hole and a crew was sent to clean up. I'm surprised my impulsiveness today wasn't acted upon by the prince.

Something catches my eye and I leave Lillia to twist the grass into crowns. I run up the hill and hide behind one of the large boulders. It's a courtier, no doubt a one hired from someone rich. He has the nicer clothes and embroidered hat.

The young man runs past my hiding spot and I remain undetected. He runs down the beaten cobble stone path and onto the worn dirt one to my house. Strange, we usually don't get courtiers here unless it's for my dad who is away or my mom. She just got an order and they never send her double orders.

I've also been getting letters. Once a week for five weeks now. Some of them have been regular mail but others a have been poems from an anonymous admirer. I've gotten at least three so far. The other two were fliers to join the Imperial Army.

The courtier runs up to my sister who shyly takes the letter. Then the man is off again and I run over to Lillia. She hands me the letter and I tear it open.

_"Hair as black as the night. _

_Eyes as beautiful as the falling snow. _

_You make me feel just right._

_And I just wanted to know. _

_Will you be mine?_

_Or must I let you go? _

_A ravishing young woman like you is hard to find._

_We can take it slow._

_Please let me know. _

_You don't know me,_

_But I know you. _

_Meet me at the well tonight. _

_Midnight will do."_

The first part rhymed but the ending was a bit cheesy. All the poems my admirer sent me were sweet but I have no clue who sent them. I might as well go tonight to see who it is.

"What does it say?" Lillia speaks quietly as she stands on her tip-toes, trying to read the poem. I lift her up and tuck the note in my apron pocket.

"It's just a little poem. Same thing as last week." I carry her inside the house and set her on her favorite chair. She loves the chair because we always read stories to her in it and it can easily fit two. I lift the crown off my head and put it on Lillia's. Then I tap her on the nose lightly with one finger and she smiles. "Keep this safe for me alright. I'm going to go into town."

She nods her head and I leave, closing the old wooden door lightly. I follow the beaten path up to Solitude and the guards open the heavy red doors. The shouting gets louder as I walk up to the training yard. Awassi, a furry white Khajiit, is already repairing the training dummies carefully. I try to avoid the shouting royals as best I can but I walk into Prince Torygg's line of fire so to speak.

He blows me off my feet and into the stone wall with the first two words of the Unrelenting Force shout. I bang my head against the cold wall and the King rushes over to me. He helps me to my feet and asks if I'm okay.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I rub my head and walk forward a bit, only to stumble over a bench. "Ouch."

Prince Torygg runs over just to roll his eyes. "Idiot. Don't you have any depth perception? I was obviously getting ready to shout. You could have easily seen it." He goes back to his training and starts to shout at the dummies not occupied by Awassi's nimble hands.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The King asks again. He looks truly worried.

Awassi finally comes over and gets me back on my feet. "You know how clumsy she is. She'll be fine." She pulls me over to the torn dummies and quietly discusses everything that happened today with me. Awassi is like the eyes and ears of this place. It's surprising they let her in the city because she is a Khajiit. They don't let the caravans in.

I pick up a thin needle made from mammoth's tusk and I thread it with the course string we use for patching. The needle makes contact with a shredded dummy and I get to work. At least I can sew without stabbing myself. "I think I'm going to have a bump on my head." I rub around my head and sure enough, a little bump has already formed.

"It'll be fine. Now, tell me. It's like you have invincibility when it comes to the King. Whatever you do is fine in his eyes. And what about the prince? It seems like he has it out for you. Oh yeah. Happy Birthday." Awassi rapidly talks just like the way she sews. She always looks like she has enough of everything. New clothes, new jewelry, lots of money. I know she doesn't steal it because she is a hard worker and I've known her for years.

I moan at all the questions and start patching up another cut. "Okay, I have no clue what is with the King. This morning I made the Prince Prissy Pants some eggs he didn't like and he threw a fit. Then I broke a mop, threw it at his feet, and stormed out the door. I also ran into the Queen mid rampage. She didn't looked pleased. I think she hates me." By the time I finish, the dummies are all fixed and we start putting the supplies away. I obviously don't own the kit and neither does Awassi. Our lazy good for nothing employer does. He barely pays us but when he does, it's good money.

Awassi locks up the repair kit and drags it over to the small little blade sharpening station over by the Emperor's Tower. She is careful not to get shouted at and I admire her speed. I need that for when I become a thief. She might have to teach me.

She pulls her long white fur out of its bun and joins me over by the fire in the middle of the yard. The clouds are starting to settle in and the sun is just falling over the city. Orange hues mix with the blue and pink ones as the day turns to night. We sit on a bench, just watching the aurora dance across the sky and the fire crackling in its pit. After a few more minutes, Awassi pulls out a bundle of cloth. She gives it to me and then walks away.

I tuck it in my apron and walk down the street where the lamps are being lit and the torchbugs are starting to glow. People are closing their shops and are saying goodbye to customers that head into the Winking Skeever. I exit the doors again and travel down to my home.

The windows shine brightly as I near the small cottage and the scent of fresh bakery items reaches my nose. I open the door and am bombarded with song and the sounds of "Happy Birthday!" My mom is in the kitchen, slowly walking out with a cake that has homemade candles on it. Lillia is tagging along behind her and my father is home along with my older brother.

My mom sets the cake on the table and lights the candles using fire magicka. We all gather around and I thank them all. They sing for me and I blow out the candles, wishing hard just like I use to do when I was a kid. My mom cuts the cake and we eat it as fast as she can serve it.

It's my favorite type. Angle food with fresh raspberries mixed in. All too soon, we finish the cake and they bring out presents.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything." I say while blushing. My dad gives me his present and I open it modestly. He smiles while I tear the brown paper away from a painting of Riften's wilderness. The colors are amazing. Gold and red leaves dot the trees along with orange ones scattered on and around the white trinket trees. I spot a few deer in the picture too and I marvel at what I see. "It's beautiful."

"I know you can't see it for yourself but this may be the closest you will get." My dad gives me a hug and I return it.

I stare at the panting for a few seconds longer and put it to the side. My brother shoves a package in my face and sits down next to me. He still has the brown stubble on his chin and his hair is cropped tightly to his head. It seems like he still enjoys shedding the blood of Stormcloaks. I can tell from his new scar that rakes across his face from his left temple to his chin.

Slowly, I open it just to make him angry. He tears it open for me in a hurry and dumps the box back down.

"You were always so slow." He chuckles and tilts back on his chair.

I lift the lid and see a silver necklace. The pattern is beautiful with every stroke. It depicts a wolf howling at the moons Masser and Secunda. The only visible eye of the wolf is a small sapphire. "It's amazing." I clasp the necklace tightly to my neck and admire it while my mother hands me the present she got me.

"It's a dress. I hope you like the colors." She spoils it and sits down at the table with us.

Once I open the box, I am shocked. Even though my mother spoiled the surprise, it doesn't hold a candle to the real thing. It is a milky white silk with green embroidering at the bottom. The embroidering looks just like a meadow and I love it instantly. I thank them all for the wonderful gifts and then my brother and father set back out to the border.

My mother goes to sleep in her room with Lillia and I climb the wall and shelves to get to the loft which is my room. By looking at the moon, I can tell it is almost midnight and I slip easily into my new dress. I pull on my nicest pair of shoes and head towards Solitude without waking my sleeping family.

The guards present at the doors nod and open them just a crack, enough for one person to get in. Then they shut them silently behind me and I make way to the well. I catch a few torchbugs on the way and set them free above my head.

The well is in the middle of the circle of market stands. During the day, people sell food, fish, and wine, all freshly made, caught, or grown. Moss creeps on the walls and my mother sometimes has me retrieve it for her experiments.

I finally reach my destination and a shadowy figure moves by the well and comes to greet me. The cloth bound figure makes me wary and a bit scared. Why did I even come here? This was a dangerous thing to do. I back up a bit as the person strides closer, making me regret not bringing a dagger.

"I wrote those poems for you. Please don't go." A voice speaks from behind the hood and he removes it. Ruffled brown hair that goes to his chin. Dark blue eyes like sapphires. Perfectly sculpted face and features.

My admirer is the Prissy Prince Torygg.

* * *

Author's Note:

Any who, here is this story. Blah blah blah. Gonna be a lot more interesting. Also, I had to change a few things.


	2. Chapter 2

Would You?

Disclaimer: I don't own Skyrim or anything involved with it.

* * *

"Are you kidding me? I'm leaving." I take a quick glance and head back towards the massive doors. He falls instep behind me and grabs my arm, forcing me to face him.

"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. Please, give me a chance." Prince Torygg pleads as he holds me tighter. He truly looks sorry but I pull away. Anger replaces his demeanor.

"Leave me alone." I warn him and walk faster to get to the doors. He again follows my pace but pins me against the wall. I struggle and push and even kick him but he doesn't budge. He pins my shoulders and ducks his head down to mine.

It looks like he's about to kiss me but someone smacks him forcefully on the head. Torygg yields and backs away. I stay at the wall, too frightened to move.

The High King of Western Skyrim grabs his son by the collar and sends him up to the castle after giving him another good swat to the head. I see Awassi lurking in the shadows and then she disappears. The king returns to make sure I'm okay.

"Are you hurt? Did he do anything to you?"

"No. I'm fine. You saved me. I guess I'm in your debt." I laugh a bit at the situation but it's a cold and fear filled laugh. What would have happened if the King didn't come. Did Awassi alert him? I don't want to think of what could have happened.

The king rubs the back of his neck. "There is something I want you to do."

"Anything."

"I need you to take my son to High Hrothgar."

"Anything but that. You just saw what happened! What do you think will happen when we are alone?" I scream at the king's wild suggestion. He'll probably order me to do it.

The king puts his hands on my shoulders in a friendly manner. "You won't have to make the trip soon. I'll make sure you get the best defensive training my guards and I can offer. I need you to do this. The fate of Skyrim depends on it." He adds a please after his little speech and I reluctantly say yes. The king is very pleased and leaves after giving me a pat on the back.

"What did I get myself into?" I say as I hold my head and slump down the side of the wall.

Awassi reappears out of thin air and crouches beside me. "You could have handled the prince. If only you knew who you are." She becomes silent and covers her mouth.

I look at her strangely. "What do you mean? I know who I am. I'm a useless 18 year old who can barely hold a job yet alone use magicka." There's something she isn't telling me. I stare at her, trying to read her expressions. Nothing.

Her ears twitch back and forth but all I hear is silence. "Do you still have that package I gave you?" Awassi looks at me expectantly and then rushes up. She pulls me to my feet and hurries me out the door. "It isn't safe here. Grab the package and meet me under Solitude's natural arch." Awassi leads me home and then runs for the arch.

I quietly open the door to the house and climb up to the loft. Fumbling in the dark, my fingers reach the rough packaging of the thing Awassi gave me earlier. I grasp it tightly and sneak back out of the house.

The path to the road under the arch is short and I find Awassi among the shadows. She grabs the package from my hands and unravels it slowly. At first, I see the tip of a scabbard and then slowly the rest of it. The hilt of the sword gleams in the moon light and Awassi pulls the blade out slowly. Beams of light reflect off the shiny surface and it makes a sharp hissing sound as it scrapes along the inside of its holder.

"This sword was your father's." Awassi places the blade in my outstretched palms and I marvel at its lightness and sharpness. She flips the sword over carefully.

I drop it quickly and it almost lands on my toes. The blade clatters to the ground with the emblem of the Stormcloaks face up. It must have been carefully etched and filled with ebony because the symbol sticks out like a sore thumb.

"My father wasn't a Stormcloak. He's part of the Imperial army and has always been. This isn't his sword." I back away from the blade and become very suspicious. Not just because of the blade, but because my trusted friend is telling me this.

Awassi picks the sword back up and slides it back into its scabbard. "You don't understand. Rikard and Salonia aren't your real parents. Your life is a lie. You are the daughter of Ulfric Stormcloak." Her words hit me hard. I have to sit down and hold my head. Questions and answers flood my brain and everything makes sense. No wonder I was never good at magicka or any other things. Why did my family lie to me all these years? Do I even call them my family anymore? Has Awassi known this, known who I really am and she hasn't told me?

Awassi seems to read my expression and answers every question I can think of. "I have known about your true identity for five years. I was sent to Solitude to protect you." She shakes my shoulders and stares me down. "You are a Stormcloak."

"Why, in the name of the Divines, did you wait to tell me?!" I yell angrily as I punch a tree. "Damn it! I think I broke my hand!" I hold my hand carefully but I am still fuming. The bones feel cracked and there certainly was the sound of breaking when I hit the tree.

Awassi grabs my hand gently and folds it in her own. I can feel her claws rest on the top and bottom of my hand as she heals it with magicka. Little yellow beams of magicka radiate from her hands as she fixes my broken bones. The sparkles and shimmering light fades and my hand is restored. "Idiot." Awassi mumbles to herself as she gives me the sword again.

I grasp it lightly as I flex my hand. Good as new. "Are you sure?" My words tremble and so do my hands as I pull the sword out for myself.

"Yes. Very sure." Awassi pats me on the shoulder and leaves me under the arch. The moment her footsteps fade, I slide the sword back into its scabbard. I sit on a rock in the dark as I ponder and think through everything that has happened.

An hour passes and I draw my conclusions. "I am a Stormcloak." I say to myself silently and I wrap the sword back up. The wind from the Sea of Ghosts starts to pick up and I head back home and store the sword under my mattress. My sleep is restless as questions bounce around in my head. Somehow, I manage to drift off and wake a few hours later to a royal courtier knocking on the door.

"What?" I moan sleepily as I lounge against the doorframe with my night clothes on.

He doesn't react at all to my sleepiness and delivers an oral message. "You are to report to the training courtyard by eight o'clock sharp. Your training begins today." The courtier throws some leather armor at me and runs off back to the city.

I shut the door and remember the promise I made last night. Dang. I wish training wasn't so early. No one is in the house except me because my mom is working in the infirmary today, my sister is at school, and my dad and brother are on border control. Should I even call them my parents and siblings now that I know the truth? I pull off my night clothes and put on the light armor. It's uncomfortable and doesn't feel right.

The sword I got from Awassi stays under my mattress because it is sure to cause some controversy if I show up with it. I lock the door behind me after putting away my clothes and grabbing an apple. It's fresh and I munch on it as I walk up to the doors of Solitude. They let me in and I find my way up to the training courtyard. The guards are there training and a little force along with a weapon rack has been set apart from them. Sand bags outline the area and I laugh because it must be to warn people that I have weapons in my hands.

I toss the core of my apple into the center fire and it sizzles as I pass. One of my trainers greets me and introduces me to everyone. My main teacher is a male Imperial named Clemens Vivio. He has light brown hair and dark brown eyes. Clemens is about in his early 30s. Next, I am introduced to my armor trainer named Peter. He is a blond Nord in his late 20s and will be teaching me about light and heavy armor. My block teacher is an Orc female with cropped black hair. The one that introduced me to everyone introduces himself as Thoron. He is a Wood Elf and will teach me about archery.

"Which do you prefer? Light or heavy?" Peter starts and shows me a few examples of Light and Heavy armor. There is Glass armor, Steel-plate armor, Elven armor, Dwarven armor, and even some armor made from dragon bones and dragon scales.

"I don't know. The armor I'm wearing right now is uncomfortable. I feel weak in it." I say truthfully and shrug as I examine the armor.

"Try this on then." Peter hands me the heavy dragon bone armor and sends me to change. Mora gra-Nar, the female Orc follows me and helps me into the armor. I feel a little uncomfortable with her helping me but I banish the thoughts.

I walk out with my new armor and like how it feels. It makes me feel more protected and stronger as I move back to the sand bags. Peter walks around me, examining how it fits and even makes me turn and lift my arms a couple times. He okays it and then sends me over by Clemens. Clemens is over by the weapon rack and I see the wide array of the different types. There are one-handed swords, greatswords, battle axes, war axes, maces, war hammers, and then there are some bows and daggers.

"Not yet. You'll get to pick out one of the weapons when I see what you can do." Clemens directs me over to a pile of wood. Looking more closely, I realize that they are wood swords. "You will be training with these. We don't want anyone getting hurt." He smiles and hands me a light wooden sword.

Looks like someone heard my track record. I grab the sword from him and he tells me to hit the practice dummy. The dummy is like all the others with a red target on the chest and face. "Where? I could hit its head or chest." I state plainly and he claps slowly, almost in a mocking manner.

"Lesson number one. You can hit the dummy in more than just the head or chest." He takes the sword from me and points at all the parts I could hit the dummy with it. The chest, head, neck, legs, and arms. Clemens hands me back the sword and again tells me to hit the dummy.

I whack the dummy in the chest with the wooden sword. The hit vibrates up my arms and it feels right. It feels like it fills a space in me that could never be filled.

"Not bad. You have a lot of force which is good but you can easily be pushed over." Clemens turns to me and slides his foot under my ankle and trips me. I land on my butt and the sword skitters to the side. I move to get it and get up but Clemens stops me. "I could kill you easily right now. You are distracted with getting your weapon and back on your feet. This could be your downfall. Think of what you can do."

I look for anything that might help me and I get an idea. Using his own technique against him, I trip my trainer and grab my sword, rolling over. In no time, I'm back on my feet with my wooden sword and so is Clemens. I get into a stronger stance, feet planted firmly and my sword pointed at his chest. He smiles and pushes the fake blade away slowly and puts his hands up in surrender.

"You learn quickly."

"She fails quickly too. Watch out." Torygg is watching us, leaning against one of the walls with his arms crossed. Half of his face is black and blue. No doubt from his father because of last night.

"Give me a bow and some arrows." I say, squinting my eyes at the prince. Thoron hands me a wooden hunting bow and some iron arrows. I push the bow away but take the arrows. "Give me the dragon bone one." Soon, he returns with the dragon bone bow and I examine it. I pull the string back without releasing, testing the draw back. "40 pounds correct?"

"Yes. How did you know?" Thoron asks, astonished.

I smile down at the bow. "I've played around with bows before." In truth, I am a master at the bow. I had a friend tutor me for a few months and learned quickly. Killing animals is easy and when they move, it isn't a challenge.

"Ooo. Little Svana has a bow. Everyone, take cover." Torygg mocks me and they all laugh.

I become serious and grab an apple off one of the tables. It barely balances on the top of the dummy's head but I get it to stay. "Watch and learn." I run up the steps and past the Temple of Divines. My armor slows me a bit but I get accustomed to it as I find an area up high with a clear view of my little sectioned off training area. I climb up the side of the little ledge that keeps you from falling off and balance on it carefully, notching an arrow.

My head becomes clear as I pull the string up to my cheek. I breath slowly as the feathers brush my cheek. The arrow flies and lands dead center in the apple and even pins it to a crack in the stone. I run back down with the bow slung over my back along with the arrows. The reactions on my trainers' faces are satisfactory as well as Torygg's. They are all stunned and I set the bow back on the rack with the other weapons.

"Looks like you don't need me." Thoron says as he wipes the look off his face.

"Lucky shot." Torygg states and goes back to being moody and rude.

"How about I knock an apple off your head?" I face him, and glare into his eyes. He is only about five inches taller than I am but I make sure to seem tall.

"You wanna try?" He scoffs and gets up in my face. Torygg crosses his arms and stops leaning against the wall.

"I never miss." I counter bravely. Clemens puts his hand on my shoulder and I back off. Torygg backs off too and leaves me to my training.

"Let's work on your swordsmanship again." Clemens hands me a wooden sword and we face off. Trainer against student. The mock battle is longer than expected and with the little training I have, I do really well. I almost get him down a few times but he comes back swinging. In the end, he wins after disarming me.

A few weeks pass and my training gets more intense. Thoron doesn't really teach me anything except sneak attacks with a bow. Mora gra-Nar leaves Solitude because I have no use for blocking. Peter teaches me more about the different types of armor, their materials, and how to smith them. I do okay in smithing and mange to make a few weapons. Clemens lets me use one handed weapons and two handed ones. I feel more comfortable with one handed weapons and he lets me double wield them. He calls me a "berserker" when I hit the target ferociously with my two swords.

On dummies, he lets me practice with real swords but when we face off, we use the wooden ones so no one gets cut. My progress has actually reached the ears of a lot of people and they have come to see me practice. They praise me on how good I am and how I am just like my father. The king lets me practice outside of the little safety circle of sand bags like the guards. Peter also let me choose what I wanted to use in my weapons. I obviously choose dragon bone and he showed me how to smith them. It was hard and I messed up a few times but finally got a pair of sturdy swords.

* * *

"Today is your trial." Clemens addresses me as I eat my lunch. He sits across from me and starts on his too.

"So, what do I have to do?" I ask after munching on a piece of bread with cheese. Usually, I wear light armor to practice archery but today, I kept my heavy dragon bone armor on throughout the day. Archery is always before lunch but today we skipped it.

Clemens looks at me sadly. "You have to kill a dragon." He acts like I will fail. Will I?

"A dragon? Are you crazy?!" I stand up quickly and slam my hands on the table, getting in Clemens's face. "I could die!" I back off and start to pace. A dragon. Fire. Frost. Claws. Razor sharp teeth. Certain doom. Fun.

"I tried to persuade the king but he said you were ready." He puts a hand on my shoulder and leaves without another word.

An hour of freaking out passes and then the king addresses me at the stables outside of Solitude. "A guard will accompany you to help. Good luck." He hands me the bridle of a golden-brown horse with light yellow speckles.

I slip it on the mare's head and she gives a whinny in response. A common city guard follows the side of my horse as we go north east. The king also told me about the reports of this dragon and that's when he decided to send me to kill it. Too soon, we reach the area where the dragon was sighted. Chills run up my spine as I hop off my horse and crouch with my bow out.

We walk for awhile like that, sneaking around in the snowy terrain. Then I spy the dragon. I've never actually seen one up close before. It looks like it is sleeping and I creep around the rock formation it is on. If I wasn't so freaked out from this, I might actually take my time in slaying it.

I notch an arrow made of ebony and pull the string to my ear. Being more accustomed to this bow, I can pull it back more for a stronger and more accurate shot. The arrow flies as I release it and it lodges into the dragon's skull. It belts out a piercing roar as its scaly wings lift off into the air.

The dragon flies around, breathing fire wildly. I shoot the dragon from the ground and with each arrow, the dragon becomes even more mad. It has had enough of being target practice and the ground rumbles as it lands. I quickly put my bow away and pull my duel swords from my belt.

Mad, the dragon spits fire at me as I evade him. I slash at his wings and give him reminders that I'm here and it gives me reminders too. Painful ones. It pushes me away with its wings and swings at me with its tail.

Where is the guard?

I take my eyes off of the dragon for a few seconds to see that he is dealing with a few wolves that decided to show up for the party. The dragon then breathes fire at me and my armor gets warm. At least something protects me. I battle the dragon for another minute and then he goes down. The guard congratulates me on my triumph and then something weird happens.

The dragon bursts into flames and its scales disappear, leaving its white bones in the snow. Blue and orange light floods into my body and it feels strange. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I turn to the guard for an explanation and he is as shocked as I am.

"You're... Dragonborn."

* * *

Author's Note:

Well, that wraps up this chapter. Reviews are appreciated. I had to change some things in the first chapter so please reread it.


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